Career advice: How to write a strong office manager cover letter

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Are you looking to pursue a new job as an office manager? Perhaps you’re excited about making a career change into this challenging new field, or maybe you’re already an office manager but would like to transition to a new company?

Whatever your reasons are for wanting to secure a new position as an office manager, the good news is that there are plenty of opportunities — most companies, both large and small and across industries, employ office managers. The not-so-good news is that you can expect to encounter some stiff competition from other job seekers who will undoubtedly possess a wide range of backgrounds and experience levels.

So, what does this mean for you? Simple — if you want to be at the top of the competitive food chain when you’re applying for open office manager positions you’ll need to have a pitch-perfect resume and cover letter that will grab and hold the attention of hiring personnel and potential new employers.

Your cover letter is going to serve as your first impression maker out in the job market, and you’re going to want to make it a good one. According to a recent article by CareerOne, when looking for a new job “many people believe that a strategically targeted cover letter is the most important weapon you need.” With all of this said, it’s clear that using a bland, lifeless, boilerplate cover letter just isn’t going to cut it. Let’s review some proven strategies for how to write an effective office manager cover letter.

Make it clear you can deliver what the company wants and needs.

The truth is, great office managers typically anticipate the needs of their offices and employers before they’re even asked. They just seem to have an almost psychic ability to know what’s needed before anyone else does. This is the same operating principle that you should use when crafting your cover letters (notice we didn’t say letter — every opportunity should get a customized letter!).

Use the information in the job posting to help inform what should be included in your cover letter. If the posting includes detailed information regarding job responsibilities, make sure your cover letter addresses each of these responsibilities. Data-driven results are best. For example, if a position is looking for someone with shipping experience, make sure your cover letter demonstrates that you’re a shipping whiz with a proven track record. If you have any extra feathers in your shipping cap — perhaps you negotiated a great shipping rate for your office in a previous job — even better.

Don’t overload your cover letter so it reads more like a novel, but do hit the highlights to make sure you’re putting your best foot forward. Remember, you can also include quantifiable results like cost-savings and process improvements in your resume.

If the job posting is light on details, use your knowledge of typical responsibilities handled by office managers (an Internet search can prove helpful here), and also be sure to do some research on the company you’re applying to. Get a sense of what they do and try and anticipate their needs in an office manager—and be sure that this factors into your cover letter.

Highlight your skills and how they relate to the specific position.

If you’re an experienced office manager, this will certainly be to your advantage — you likely have a good sense of what the position requires and how to be effective. Make sure your cover letter, in conjunction with your resume, highlights your past experience and key accomplishments, and hopefully they mesh with what your target company is looking for in their next office manager.

If you’re new to the field, this just means that you’ll need to get a little more creative — after using the job posting and a search of what responsibilities office managers typically handle, try your best to translate how the skills and experience you do have can be utilized effectively in an office manager position. Do you have experience ordering and negotiating for example? If so, then great — most office managers need to be good at these tasks, so be sure to speak about this in your cover letter. Your cover letter should focus on transferable skills, those skills that you possess that effective office managers also have and use regularly.

Paint yourself as the ideal office manager.

Perhaps you’ve worked in offices that have had office managers in the past — if so, then use this to help guide your letter. What made them successful and what didn’t work so well? Do you have any friends, family, or trusted colleagues who work as office managers? If so, pick their brains and use this information to help you write a killer cover letter that will get you noticed.

Here’s the bottom line — regardless of your background and experience, getting a job as an office manager might not be a cakewalk. You’ll need to use every resource at your disposal to get a leg up on the competition and succeed. Use the information and strategies here to write an effective office manager cover letter — your first step on the journey to your next great job.